Chop, Dice and Slice: Meet Culinary Fellow Jessie Benthien

By press on WED, MAY 7TH 2008, 3:49 P.M.

“When I cook, I must start from a strong and good place,” writes Jessie Benthien, Montalvo’s current Culinary Fellow. Jessie arrived in September at Montalvo’s Sally and Don Lucas Artists Programs residency and is gaining experience running her own kitchen. and developing repertoire, cooking dinner five days a week for a handful of resident artists. In her interview here with Montalvo staffer Lindsey Wylie, Jessie talks about her work, her experience and her plans for the future.

Montalvo: Can you tell me about your time here at the Lucas Artists Programs residency?

Jessie Benthien: It has been wonderful. It’s interesting being the culinary fellow. It is a different kind of residency because I feel constant while everyone else is coming and going so I experience some things differently than the other residents. I feel lucky to be able to have so much creative freedom. I must remind myself that it’s up to me to make [my residency] what I want it to be. It is very different from being in a restaurant, where you serve a function. Here, it’s like “what’s my style?”

M: How did you become interested in cooking?

JB: I became interested in cooking seriously when I was in college. I was studying comparative religion and I was interested in how people of different religions relate to their environment, practice sustainable agriculture, etc. During summers I interned on farms, one of which was attached to a restaurant. I had always loved cooking; it was a great pastime. I had been interested in food from a nutrition standpoint. But then, walking through the kitchen with a basket of lettuce at the farm I was like “this is where I want to be.” For me, cooking is a tangible way to live my values – sustainability, integrity.

M: This year you are one of the featured chef’s at Montalvo’s fifth annual Food & Wine event. Can you share any secrets about what will be on your menu?

JB: I am planning to do something with beef, perhaps some sort of braise. I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to box myself in! The menu for Food & Wine will tie in to my own food and art event, which each culinary fellow [at Montalvo] does. For that I’ll be tracing the source of the meal – where the cow came from, things like that.

M: You’re talking about food and art. Do you think of yourself as an artist?

JB: That’s a good question. I am still trying to figure that one out. There are elements of cooking that are very much art. When you have real confidence with the materials at hand and the ways of using them, you get surprising outcomes. But there’s also a lot of craft and hard work in cooking. I am still working it out. I do think of myself as a chef now. I didn’t use to, but running a kitchen and planning menus has helped change that.

M: You’ve worked with Alice Waters in the past. Do you have any thoughts about your experiences with her or things that you learned from her?

JB: She is amazing and uncompromising. She has a vision and really pulls people together through her actions, which I find impressive. What she has been doing with the Berkeley school district is wonderful [Waters established The Edible Schoolyard in 1994]. I admire how she has been a restaurateur. The Chez Panisse community is really taken care of.

M: A co-worker of mine once asked a chef what three things she should always have in her pantry. What three ingredients would you recommend everyone keep on hand?

JB: Kosher salt, and another type of salt, but maybe that’s nit picking. So, Kosher salt, a decent olive oil, and some sort of wine vinegar. I guess I went very basic on that.

M: You may have, but I think it is helpful. I realized that I don’t have Kosher salt in my pantry.

JB: Kosher salt is good because it doesn’t have any additives. And it’s cheap. It’s good for cooking, not for finishing, but for cooking.

M: Will you share a quick and easy recipe for hors d’oeuvres?

JB: I think caramelized onions are great. To make them, you cook down thinly sliced onions for half an hour to an hour in butter and olive oil so that they get sweet and melt-y. They’re wonderful on toasted bread with a slice of feta, a little dressed arugula, and black pepper.

LW: After you leave Montalvo, do you know what’s next on your horizon?

M: I’ll definitely keep cooking. The culinary program here has given me the opportunity to get some distance from the restaurant world and to pursue my passion. Cooking is loaded with history, economics, agricultural practice…

M: Do you think you’ll ever go back to restaurants or do you have other plans?

JB: I would like to return to the restaurant world at some point. One of my favorite things about cooking is the camaraderie, but [at Montalvo] this is a solitary position. I like to be able to bounce ideas off of people and feed off of their energy. I still have a lot to learn. My experience at LAP will be great to bring to a new place.

Find out why Jessie cooks.

Why I Cook

By Jessica Benthien on MON, APR 28TH 2008, 1:52 P.M.

When I cook, I must start from a strong and good place:

I can't be harried, or else I won't brown the roast. I can't be starving, or else I'll scarf the lentils before garlic, vinegar, and oil complete them. I can't be full, or else I'll only want to serve a lettuce salad. I can't be exhausted, or else that roast will be too tough. Each time I cook, my hands and senses participate in a conversation, and I must start from a strong and good place to listen well. I must take note of the temperature outside; the sky's color in the morning and afternoon; this moment's fruits and vegetables; our many different hungers we eaters bring to the table; my own state of mind.

I don't always hear everything. Sometimes, luck is with me and skill too kicks in: a delicious and well-conceived dinner - despite fatigue! Sometimes, time is too little or tasks too many, and the leeks are under-seasoned, the cake slightly aslant. I don't like these imperfections, but in any profession or pastime, challenges abound. If, for each time I cook, my challenge is to be both aware of my surroundings and grounded in what is feasible, possible, and satisfying, then I will always attempt to meet this challenge. Every day that I cook, I have an opportunity to be present - the chance to create a wholly good meal.

Montalvo Arts Center : Culinary Blog

Chop, Dice and Slice: Meet Culinary Fellow Jessie Benthien

Why I Cook